Sin Stigmatized, Part 1 · Section 51
§ 51.
NO wicked man is a wiſe man; That no wicked man is a wiſe man.for as God is the giver of wiſdome, ſo hee reveales himſelfe ſavingly to none but his children the godly.
Firſt, God only is the giver of it. For as no man can ſee the Sunne, but by the light of the Sunne: ſo no man doth know the ſecrets of God, but by the revelation of God, Mat. 16.16, 17. to know the myſteries of the Kingdome of Heaven, wee muſt have hearts, eyes, and eares, ſanctified from above, Deut. 29.2, 3, 4. Pſ. 111.10 Luk. 24.45. Ioh. 15.15. Rom. 8.14.15.
No learning, nor experience will ſerve to know the riches of the glory of Gods inheritance in the Saints, to know the love of Chriſt which paſſeth knowledge, Eph. 1.17.18. and 3.19. for as meere ſenſe is uncapeable of the rules of reaſon: ſo reaſon is no leſſe uncapeable of the things that are ſupernaturall. Yea, the true knowledge of the nature and ſtate of the ſoule, muſt come by his inſpiration that gave the ſubſtance. As the ſoule is the lamp of the body, and reaſon of the ſoule, and religion of reaſon, and faith of religion: ſo Chriſt is the light and life of faith.
2. God reveales himſelfe ſavingly to none but the godly, and ſuch as he knows will improve their knowledge to his glory: even as husbandmen will not caſt their ſeed but into fruitfull ground, which will returne them a good harveſt; the ſecrets of the Lord, ſaith David, are revealed to them that feare him, and his covenant is to give them understanding, Pſa. 25.14. theſe ſecrets are hid from the wicked, neither hath hee made any ſuch covenant with them: the faithfull are like Moſes, to whom God ſhewed himſelfe, Exod. 3. like Simeon, that imbraced Chriſt in his armes, Lu. 2.28 like Iohn the beloved Diſciple, that leaned on his boſome, Ioh. 13.25. like the three Diſciples, that went with him up the mount to ſee his glory, Matth. 17. like the Apoſtles, whoſe underſtandings he opened, Luk, 24.45. and to whom hee expounded all things: whereas to unbelievers, he ſpeakes all things, as it were, in Parables, Mar. 4.34. ſee this in Abrahams example, ſhall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? ſaith God, Gen. 18.17. As if this were an offence in God, if he ſhould tell the righteous no more then hee tells the wicked. They which love God, ſaith S. Iohn, know God; but they which have not this love, know not God, though they have never ſo much knowledge beſides, 1 Iohn 4.7.
Yea, ſuppoſe a man be not inferiour to Porcius, who never forgat any thing he had once read; to Pythagoras, who kept all things in memory that ever hee heard, or ſaw; to Virgil, of whom it is reported, that if all Sciences were loſt, they might bee found in him: to Biſhop Tunſtal, whom Eraſmus called, a world of knowledge; to A ristotle, who was called wiſdome it ſelf, in the abſtract; to that Romane Naſica, who was called Corculum, for his pregnancy of wit; that Grecian Democritus Abderita, who was alſo called wiſdome it ſelfe; that Britaine Guildas, called Guildas the ſage; that Iew Aben Ezra, of whom it was ſaid, that if knowledge had put out her candle, at his braine ſhee might light it againe, and that his head was a throne of wiſdome; or that Iſraelitiſh Achitophel, whoſe words were held as Oracles; to Ioſophus Scaliger, who was skil'd in thirty languages: yet if he want faith, holineſſe, the love of God, and the Spirit of God to be his teacher, he ſhall not be able, really and by his owne experience, to know th…, chiefe points of Chriſtian religion; ſuc… as are Faith, Repentance, Regeneration… the love of God, the preſence of the Spifrit, the Remiſſion of ſins, the effuſion o… grace, the poſſeſſion of heavenly comforts not what the peace of conſcience, and joy in the Holy Ghoſt is, nor what the communion of Saints means; when every one of theſe are eaſie and familiar to the meaneſt and ſimpleſt believer.
Now will you know the reaſon; the feare of the Lord, ſaith Salomon, is the beginning of wiſdome, Prov. 1.7. as if the firſt leſſon to be wiſe, were to be holy. For as the water ingendereth yce, and the yce againe ingendereth water; ſo knowledge begets righteouſneſſe, and righteouſneſſe again begetteth knowledge. It is between ſcience and conſcience, as it is betweene the ſtomack and the head; for as in mans body, the raw ſtomack maketh a rheumatick head, and the rheumaticke head maketh a raw ſtomack: ſo ſcience makes our conſcience good, and conſcience makes our ſcience good. It is not ſo much ſcientia capitis, as conſcientia cordis that knowes Chriſt and our ſelves; whence Salomon ſaith, give thine heart to wiſdome, Pro. 2.10 and let wiſdome enter into thine heart, Proverbs 4.4.
Againe, if it be ask'd, why the naturall man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God? S. Paul anſwers, he cannot know them, becauſe they are ſpiritually diſcerned, 1 Cor. 2.14. and indeed, if they be ſpiritually diſcerned; how ſhould they diſcerne them, that have not the Spirit?
Now if it be ſo, that men may bee exquiſitely wiſe, and incomparably learned in the worlds opinion; and yet very fools in the judgement of heaven: if not many wiſe men after the fleſh are called, but that a great number of them go the wrong way; yea, if God turnes their wiſdome into fooliſhneſſe, that abuſe their gifts; and reveales himſelfe ſavingly to none, but ſuch as feare and ſerve him; then is their no ſafety, in following their example, or in building our faiths upon their judgements.
Indeed we are too prone to imitate the learned, and to thinke we go ſafe enough, if wee tread in their ſteps, although they tread awry: for ſay wee, they know the will of God, what hee requires, and practiſe what they thinke will bring them to happineſſe, eſpecially ſo much as is abſolutely neceſſary to ſalvation; and they do ſo and ſo, or elſe they ſpeake not as they think, becauſe they do not as they ſpeake; for none live worſe then many of them.
But ſhould this be, ſhould we thinke ever the better of error, though a thouſand of the learned ſhould countenance and maintaine the ſame? no, one Micaiah, a ſingle Prophet, ſpeaking from the Oracles of God, is more worthy of credit, then 400. Baalites, 1 Kin. 22.6, 12, 13, 14, 17 22, 23. One Luther, a mean man, is worthy to bee believed before the Pope, and ſo many legions of his creatures, which were throughout Chriſtendom; for what hee wanted in abbertors, was ſupplyed in the cauſe: yea, did not Paphnutius, a weak ſcholler, ſhew more wiſdome in defending the truth, againſt the whole Councell of Nice, then all thoſe great Clarks, and learned men; to his great renowne, and their everlaſting ſhame? Did not Pharaoh find more wiſdome in Ioſeph, a poore Hebrew ſervant, and receive more ſolid advice from him, wherby a famine through out the whole world was prevented, then hee could in all the Wiſemen and Southſayers of Egypt, Gen. 41.8. to 32? Did not Nebuchadnezzar finde more depth in Daniel, a poore captive Iew, then he could in all the wiſe men of Babylon, Daniel 2. and 4? yes, and the reaſon is, one eye having ſight, is better then a thouſand blind eyes; and one poore crucified thief, being converted, had a clearer eye then all the Iews Rulers, Scribes, and Phariſies, who being naturall and wicked, condemned and crucified JESUS CHRIST.
In the Councell of Trent there was of 270. Prelates, 187. choſe out of Italy, and of the reſt, the Pope (who was himſelfe Moderator) and his creatures, excluded and tooke in, whom themſelves would, and none elſe; what marvaile then if they concluded what they liſted? Yea, how many Schollers in all ages of the world, have reſembled Trajan, who was endued with great knowledge, and other ſingular vertues, but defaced them all by hating Chriſtianity, and oppoſing the power of godlineſſe? How many are ſo farre from doing good, that they doe great hurt with their gifts, and not ſeldom the more gifts duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page they have, the more harme they do? For as the beſt ſoyle, commonly yeelds the worſt aire: ſo without grace, there is nothing more peſtilent then a deepe wit. Wit and learning well uſed are like the golden earerings, and bracelets of the Iſraelites; abuſed, like the ſame gold caſt into a molten Idoll, then which nothing more abominable. No ſuch prey for the Devill, as a good wit unſanctified: great wits oft times miſlead not only the owners, but many followers beſides: as how many ſhall once wiſh they had been born dullards, when they ſhall finde their wit and learning to have barred them out of heaven.
And let them looke to it; for as, in reſpect of others, their offence is greater; for better many Iſraelites commit adultery, or idolatry, then one David, or Salomon. The leaſt meate that flies in the Sun, or between our eyes and the light, ſeemes a greater ſubſtance then it is: and the more learned the perſon, the more notorious the corruption: as the freſheſt ſommers day will ſooneſt taint thoſe things which will putrifie; ſo in reſpect of themſelves, their ſinne is, and their puniſhment ſhall bee greater: for the more glorious the Angels excellency, the more damnable their apoſtacie. If the light become darkneſſe, how great is that darkneſſe? If Achitophel prove a villaine, how miſchievous is his villany. Putrified Lillies ſmell farre worſe than weeds; if vertue turne into vice; the ſhame is triple. For many Iewes to deny Chriſt, was not ſo much as for one Peter. Yea, if all the Cities of the world had done filthily, it were ſhort of this wonder, the Virgine daughter of Sion is become an harlot, Iſaiah 1.21. If Iudas become a traitor, how great is his treaſon? If Abſalom rebell, how unnaturall is his rebellion? And ſo much to anſwer the plea, of learned men.